“Don’t you dare touch him!”
My heart pounded in my chest as the familiar shift began. I clenched my jaw, focusing all my energy on my shift. My bones cracked and reshaped beneath my skin, the pain sharp but fleeting. It never got easier, but the power that followed made it worth it.
The silver fur began to sprout across my body, sleek and strong, glimmering under the dark sky. My senses exploded, sharper, clearer. I could hear the biggest impact of waves, feel the vibrations of every movement around me. My eyes, now glowing with an eerie light, locked onto my opponent.
The female vampire stood before me. She flung Declan’s limp body onto the sand. I was too late. The vampire had already drained his blood, leaving a trace of liquid at the corner of her lips, which she quickly wiped away.
Her red eyes gleaming with malice. She grinned, her fangs flashing in the moonlight. I could feel her power, but it didn’t scare me. It only fueled the fire within me. I growled low in my throat, every muscle in my wolf body tensed.
[She’s underestimating our strength, Godiva. I want to tear her apart until there’s nothing left,] my wolf growled, her voice laced with savage fury echoing in my mind.
“I know,” I replied, my voice tense and my gaze fixed on the vampire. “We need to end this quickly. I’m worried about Declan.”
[Fine,] she snapped impatiently. [Attack from the left!]
I lunged at her, swift and savage. She dodged, but I was ready, anticipating her every move. My claws swiped through the air, cutting across her side. The blood that spilled was a dark, thick red, but before I could land another strike, her wound began to heal before my eyes.
She hissed, fury flashing in her gaze, and retaliated with lightning speed. She swiped at me with razor-sharp claws, and I barely managed to twist away in time. The vampire was quick, but I was faster.
The rocks around us was alive with the sounds of our battle-the crashing of claws against skin, the growls and hisses echoing through the night. I could feel my wolf instincts taking over, every part of me focused on the fight.
I dodged, countered, struck with precision. Her fangs snapped at me, and I narrowly missed her, my own fangs biting the air in frustration. She twisted around, kicking me with such force that I was knocked backward, stumbling for a moment.
“Fucking bitch!” I growled louder.
I wasn’t about to let her get the upper hand, not when I was this close to ending it. But just as I was about to charge again, something shifted in the air-something cold, heavy with power. I turned, and there he was: a male vampire.
His presence was overwhelming, his cold eyes locking onto mine with an intensity that sent a chill through my silver fur. I growled, instinctively ready for a fight, but he didn’t even flinch.
He moved with impossible speed, and before I knew it, he had placed himself between me and the female vampire. The tension in the air thickened, and I could feel my hackles rise, a growl vibrating in my chest. But his voice, calm and deep, cut through the noise.
“Enough!”
His words hung in the air, and I froze. There was something unnerving about him, something that told me I was not in control anymore. I studied him carefully, my body tense, my mind racing. He was different from any vampire I had ever faced. There was power in his stillness, something that made me second-guess my every move.
I knew this wasn’t over-not by a long shot-but for now, the fight had ended. For now, I had no choice but to step back.
In an instant-perhaps in the span of a mere split second-I saw two brown wolves step forward into the middle of the chaos. One wolf lunged straight at the female vampire, grabbing her by the neck in a powerful bite and dragging her away. The other wolf stood tall and firm in front of the male vampire, letting out a deep, menacing growl.
[Let us handle them. Take the human back to the cottage and activate your shield!]
Without hesitation, I widened my stride and grabbed Declan’s body with my snout. Hoisting him onto my back, I bolted along the shoreline toward the cottage. Once I reached the front of Declan’s room, I shifted back into my human form and kicked the door open, the loud crash echoing through the space. Lizzie peeked her head out of her room, alarmed.
“Dad? What happened to him? Why does he look like that?”
“Your dad fainted. I’ll explain later. Right now, help me by preparing warm water and towels. After that, call the cottage staff, quickly!”
I couldn’t bring myself to tell Lizzie the full truth-it would only shock or overwhelm her. As I laid Declan on the bed, I examined the vampire’s bite mark on his neck.
Two tiny punctures, so small yet almost fatal. My fingers pressed gently against the pulse on his neck-so faint it was barely perceptible under my touch. ‘Moon Goddess, I need a doctor, and fast.’
Grabbing a bathrobe from the closet, I hastily covered myself. Five minutes later, Lizzie returned with the cottage staff-a husband-and-wife pair. She handed me a basin of warm water and thick towels. I noticed the couple whispering to each other, their faces pale with panic.
“Do you know any doctors nearby?” I asked.
The man stepped forward hesitantly, glancing at Declan now and then before speaking. “There’s an on-call doctor who works at the health center near the main cottage, but it’s past their hours now. Their home is in the city center, and the cottage only has two vehicles available. I can borrow one from the owner for you, ma’am.”
“Good. Get the car ready immediately! Your wife can help me lower his fever while I clean his wound.”
I unbuttoned Declan’s blood-stained shirt and began tending to his injury. As I worked, I reached out through my mind link to Beta Alvise, explaining what had happened and instructing him to tighten security around the cottage. I also asked Trisha to watch over the twins and Lizzie, whom I had already sent to their room.
[Luna Godiva, I can’t reach Alpha Castor and Pollux. They seem too busy communicating with each other to listen to me. Should I request reinforcements from Moonstone?]
“Do what you think is best. For now, securing the cottage is the top priority. I’ll activate the shield around the area after this.”
[Understood, Luna.]
I quickly stepped outside and shifted back into my wolf form. Moving stealthily, I circled the cottage complex, activating my shield. After completing the perimeter, I found Alvise standing guard at the main gate.
Sharpening all my senses and using my mind link to check on my mates, I tried to calm the storm of worry that had been brewing inside me since activating my powers. But the moment I spotted them, my unease returned tenfold.
Wait-something was wrong with Pollux. He limped toward us, supporting Castor, whose body slumped heavily against him. My heart pounded erratically as I saw Castor’s eyes closed, his form lifeless in Pollux’s grasp.